Hey everybody (and Steph in particular) – sorry I let you down by failing to respond to your comments. Here’s my best attempt to make amends.

Chris: I do think someone can go see a movie like The Da Vinci Code with the sole intention of being entertained. However, the danger I see is that some of the lies and half-truths presented may slowly erode one’s hold on the truth. I definitely don’t think that most people will see the movie and immediately renounce the faith, but I do think there is a distinct possibility that people might be led to believe certain elements that the movie presents (take your pick: is the Bible really reliable? Is the church actually a force for good? Can we be sure about who Jesus is? Etc.).

I think the issue really comes down to the old story about boiling a frog. If you throw a frog into boiling water, it will immediately jump out. The way to cook one is to slowly increase the water temperature until the water boils. The frog will never jump out because it cannot notice the subtle changes taking place in the water temperature. Truth be told, The Da Vinci Code is not the most insidious force in the world, but we do need to be ever vigilant against the lies of the enemy. Caution is the word of the day.

Steph: Sorry for letting you down. No, I haven’t read the whole book since I don’t intend to critique it literarily. Certain truth claims are made that I do seek to interact with, so I’ve read sections that are heavy in that respect (particularly Teabing’s conversations with Sophie). I did see the movie and was honestly disappointed. I had hoped that Ron Howard and Tom Hanks would make a really entertaining film, but the result was very ho-hum. The most absurd part was when Teabing (what’s with this guy?) was explaining to Sophie and Langdon “the truth” about Constantine, the early church, Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the New Testament.

I can sum up the logic of the movie/book/worldview with a single line from the movie: when asked by Sophie whether what Teabing was saying was possible, Langdon replied, “It’s not impossible.” That’s it. From there Brown seems to have assumed that the burden of proof is on traditional orthodox Christians instead of upon his sensational claims. Here is the danger I see – many Christians and non-Christians hear a semi-plausible story (read: close to impossible) and assume that the church must disprove the story or else it is true. Sorry folks, in real logic, the burden of proof is on the person who is trying to get you to believe something else. I know there are some things that are difficult to answer about our own faith, but let’s not assume that any other claim is true without rock solid evidence and reasoning.

The truth is that the Christian faith is the only faith (at least that I’ve encountered) that has staked its entire existence on a single historical event – the resurrection. Everybody agrees that the tomb was empty and Jesus’ body could not be found. We MUST wrestle with that reality and consider the possible explanations. If Jesus was raised as He said He would be, then everything else we believe, no matter how difficult, is undeniably plausible, if not likely.

Steph, I’m with you in part about being ashamed about the church’s response to this Da Vinci fad. I rolled my eyes when I heard about people declaring hunger strikes or threatening boycotts. I think all those things make us look silly. I do, however, firmly believe that we need to learn caution and discretion. I don’t have to see The Da Vinci Code to know some of the ideas it proposes any more than I have to watch porn to know sexual acts will be involved. We need to guard against this desire to experience everything for ourselves in order to be “fair” judges. In case we’ve forgotten, the devil is real and is actively roaming about like a roaring lion. We must be vigilant.

Bobby: I’m with you about being careful about consuming things that cause us to doubt. Hebrews 12:13 says, “make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.” If you’ve got a bum knee, don’t try to climb a mountain! Likewise, if you have an area of your life that you know you are weak in (and EVERYONE has them), then don’t put yourself in situations that exploit your weakness. You’ve got good wisdom my friend.

Jacob: Like you, I too had a great curiosity to see the movie. My whole point with the questions was to cause us to examine how skilled we can be as judges if we don’t even understand the subject matter.

I’m a little confused by your logic about doubts. The Bible never glorifies doubting. On the contrary, the implied teaching of Scripture is that doubting is not a good thing. That doesn’t mean you have to feel bad when you question something, but that you should recognize that doubt is the opposite of belief and needs to be eliminated. Read John for just a little while and you’ll see that Jesus consistently questions why people do not believe Him totally. Remember what Jesus said to Thomas? “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe” (John 20:27). Also, there was a story about a possessed boy that Jesus healed. After Jesus said that all things are possible if one believes, “Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, ‘I do believe; help my unbelief’” (Mark 9:24). The point is that doubt and unbelief are not good and really shouldn’t be seen as normative for faith. I think the beauty of wrestling with doubt is that it causes us to echo the man’s cry: I believe, but help those parts of me that do not. The great thing is that if you're in a place of doubt right now, you get to make that awesome confession to God, and "it's a good thing" (Martha Stewart).

I don't think most people should see The Da Vinci Code. Nearly every Christian I've talked with is convinced that the ideas proposed in the movie and book will have no effect on them. They believe that they know what the truth is and will not be confused or led astray by the ideas held by Brown and others. I think we are far too confident in our ability to discern truth from deception. People think they are able to dismiss the movie's historical claims because they know the truth. How many of you out there know who Marcion was? Have you ever read the writings of Polycarp? What did the Council of Nicea discuss? Did the Council actually decide anything? How did the church choose the books of the New Testament? How did the Catholic Church become what it is today? How did the Roman bishops (popes) come to prominence? What secular evidence is there about who Jesus was?

If you can't answer these questions and others like them, I seriously doubt your ability to be a good judge of historical truth claims about the church in The Da Vinci Code. Don't fall prey to misplaced confidence.